Germany vs. Nigeria: Odds, Live Stream, TV Info for Women's World Cup 2019
Germany will be out to continue their perfect record at the FIFA Women's World Cup on Saturday, when they take on Nigeria in the round of 16 at the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, France.
The Germans were professional in all three of their group matches, picking up wins against China, Spain and South Africa without conceding a goal. Manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will be hoping her side can add some more attacking flair to their play in the knockout stages.
The two-time world champions will be big favourites against Nigeria, who only made it through to the knockout bracket as one of the best third-placed teams. They won one of their group matches, beating South Korea 2-0.
As the first match of the knockout stage, expect an intriguing encounter. Here are the key details for the fixture, including the latest tournament odds and viewing information.
Outright Winner Odds
United States 7-4
France 7-2
Germany 13-2
England 7-1
Netherlands 12-1
Full listings available via OddsChecker.
Date: Saturday, June 22
Time: 4:30 p.m. (BST), 11:30 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: BBC Two (UK), Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)
Live Stream: BBC website (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
Preview
Of all the teams with expectations to win the World Cup this summer, Germany were arguably handed the toughest group stage. So perhaps it was not a shock to see them toil at various points in their matches.
They were nowhere near their best in the wins over China and Spain, although their rock-solid defence meant it was never likely the opposition were going to find the net in either encounter.
The Women's Soccer Visualisations account commented on the lack of balance in the side between attack and defence:
As noted by Match of the Day, being hard to break down from the off in these big games has become a trademark of Germany down the years:
In the 4-0 win over South Africa in their previous game, there were some more signs of attacking fluidity from Germany, albeit against the weakest opponents in the group.
Voss-Tecklenburg saw her side play with incision from the start, as they sprinted into a three-goal lead at the 40-minute mark. After adding a fourth before the hour, they were able to conserve energy safe in the knowledge that top spot in Group B was secure.
In attack, Sara Dabritz has been the standout player for Germany, scoring in wins over Spain and South Africa. In the 4-0 win, she was named Player of the Match for the second consecutive game:
Nigeria may have been impressive against South Korea and even in a 1-0 defeat to France, but they came close to being eliminated from the competition.
Had Chile beaten Thailand 3-0 on Thursday, it would have been enough to send the Super Falcons home. With the score at 2-0 in that game, the South Americans had the chance to net a third from the penalty spot, but Francisca Lara hit the crossbar with her effort four minutes from time (U.S. only):
While they will be boosted by their back-door progression into the knockout stages, it's difficult to see Nigeria posing too many issues for a well-oiled Germany team, with deep defence set to be their tactic.
The challenge for Germany will be finding more of an attacking verve and being more decisive when they do pick up possession in the opposition final third. If they can grab an early goal and make the most of the subsequent space they get, this should be another straightforward afternoon.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Nigeria
